Betrayed (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

I
’m glad you
decided to come.”

McKenzie glanced up at Byron and her hard-won calmness instantly evaporated. She hadn’t seen him since Monday morning, and she had gone back and forth on whether to show up at the fancy fundraiser.

She refused to give him a hint of the tremors that were rushing through her. “You promised me that it would be good exposure for my company for me to be here,” she replied calmly.

“Yes, a lot of people are here tonight. You’ll be able to make good contacts,” he assured her as he offered her his arm.

They were at the legendary Anderson mansion, and she couldn’t help but be happy to step inside its stately door. Yes, a number of jaw-dropping mansions could be found in this area, but none compared to the masterpiece Joseph Anderson had built for his wife over fifty years earlier.

The castle walls stood high, and the solid wooden doors opened to a home of marble and elegance unlike any other in the entire area. As she and Byron stepped inside, McKenzie had a difficult time holding in the gasp that she managed to suppress when first confronting the grand staircase and priceless works of art. And this was only the beginning.

She twisted a piece of her hair as she shifted from foot to foot. Yes, she’d run a high-class bordello, or whatever anyone wanted to call it, and, yes, she’d dealt with wealthy men for years, but she’d never, ever entered a home like this one.

“You are a stunning woman — a stunning
person
— and you fit in here, McKenzie. There’s no need for you to be nervous,” Byron whispered. “Remember that.”

“How would you know if I’m nervous?”

“I can see it in your eyes and from the fidgeting you’re doing. Hold your head up. You belong here.”

She wanted to remind him of what he thought of her, but she was already feeling out of place, and she didn’t need him to remember he though of her as nothing more than a two-cent whore. If he demeaned her, then her evening would be ruined. There was no way she wanted him aware that he had that sort of power of her, either.

Coming had been a mistake, but she’d been too tempted by the opportunity to draw in more business. And if she hadn’t come with Byron, she never would have been invited to attend an event at the Anderson mansion. She was just grateful to be there, so she had little choice but to push down the nerves.

Placing his hand on her back, he led her forward to another huge room with six-foot-long crystal chandeliers dripping from the ceiling, music hanging in the air, and a polished waitstaff serving hundreds of guests.

“I can’t imagine growing up in a home like this,” McKenzie said. “How in the world did they ever keep track of their children?”

Byron laughed. “For one, I’m sure they have an army of staff members to take care of the home and keep an eye out for missing children. But any home that you make comfortable is a home. It doesn’t matter if it’s a one-bedroom apartment or a colossal mansion. When it comes down to it, they’re are all the same,” he said, and he accepted two glasses of champagne from a waiter.

McKenzie looked at him for a moment before speaking. “That’s easy for you to say. This is obviously coming from a man who has never had to spend a day of his life in a small apartment.”

“No, I haven’t, but still…” He was wise enough to shut up on that subject before he changed topics altogether. “Do be careful while you’re in this home. There are rumors that the family patriarch, Joseph Anderson, is quite the matchmaker. All three of his boys fell quickly into matrimony, and many who know the family say it had everything to do with their father. And then his nieces and nephews began marrying one by one,” Byron said with another laugh.

McKenzie scoffed. “Say what? Their father —or the patriarch or whatever — can’t make them get married.”

“No. Joseph actually loves his sons, something you don’t often see in wealthy families. Hell, the children are often raised by the nanny. But rumors say he helped…shall we say, prod them along.”

“What do you mean by ‘prod them along’?”

Byron glanced around. “He played matchmaker. He hired the perfect assistant for his oldest son, a cook for his youngest — that sort of thing,” he said.

“Just because he hires certain people doesn’t mean he’s playing matchmaker,” she pointed out.

He looked down at her with such intensity, she found herself barely able to hold on to her glass. “You know more than anyone what happens when too sexually compatible people begin working closely together,” he said, taking her breath away.

“You’re being inappropriate,” she warned.

“Just filling you in on some local Anderson history. Not trying to be inappropriate at all,” he said, but his hand caressed down the length of her partially covered back.

“Do I hear you speaking about me?”

McKenzie jumped at the loud voice right behind her, and then both of them turned, and she found herself looking up, up, up. She had thought Byron was tall — heck, he was six foot three — but the man with the white hair and a groomed white beard seemed a giant compared with Byron.

“Only in the most respectful of ways,” Byron said. “How are you doing, Joseph?”

McKenzie was surprised to see genuine affection on Byron’s face.

“I can’t complain in my old age, Byron.” His attention was quickly diverted to McKenzie, and he gave her an intense look. “And how are you, little missy?”

“I’m sorry, Joseph. I’m being rude,” Byron said. “This is my date, McKenzie Beaumont”

McKenzie was flabbergasted. She didn’t want to correct him in front of their host and tell the man she wasn’t Byron’s date, but at the same time, she also didn’t want him thinking this was going to lead to a happy ending for anyone involved.

Joseph took the choice of her having to say anything at all away when his boisterous voice sounded again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Beaumont. I hope you enjoy the party.” He ignored her hand and gave her a half-hug.

“Um…it’s a pleasure to meet you, too. Thank you for having me,” she said. “And please call me McKenzie.”

“McKenzie has recently opened up Seattle Accounting,” Byron said, “and she supplies temporary or full-time staff if you ever need anyone.”

“Is that so? I’ll have to come in and see you on Monday,” Joseph said. “Most certainly.” Someone called out to him. “I’m sorry to rush off. You know how these parties go. But, I won’t forget about Monday.” And just like that, he was gone.

McKenzie could barely even think, let alone get words out at how excited she was at the prospect of having Joseph Anderson coming in to see her business. “Do you really think he’ll come?” she asked. It was barely above a whisper.

“Joseph never says anything if he doesn’t plan to follow through,” Byron assured her.

“Oh, my gosh, Byron, do you have any idea what that would do for my company if he hired us?”

Byron laughed. “Hey. Am I now chopped liver?”

“Of course not!” she said as she grabbed his arm. “It’s just that it’s the Andersons…
The Andersons!
”

“Yeah, yeah, Seattle’s royalty,” he said, but with humor, not ill-will. Yes, the Andersons were a force to be reckoned with, but that didn’t make him any less of a force, McKenzie thought.

“You’re just pouting now,” she told him, but her nerves had completely evaporated. Her champagne had evaporated too, she realized, but before she could tell Byron she didn’t need any more of it, another cup was placed in her hand, and she found herself sipping on it.

“Come on. We have more people to meet,” he said, taking her hand and squeezing it before he wrapped his arm around her. Then, she felt almost like royalty as they made their way across the beautiful marble floors and greeted a number of beautiful people in the process.

McKenzie got a rare glimpse into why Byron was such a successful man. Though he told everyone and anyone that he didn’t particularly like his fellow human beings, he was a natural crowd-pleaser, a person who knew the exact words to say to both the men and women. She was in awe of his ability to shine.

“Ah, another important person for you to meet,” Byron told her, and then she was standing in front of none other than Rafe Palazzo. He was standing next to a petite brunette wearing a gown that was worthy of the red carpet, and with emeralds so brilliant they seemed to outshine everything in the room.

“It’s been a while, my friend,” Rafe said, shaking Byron’s hand.

“Yes, we both work far too much,” Byron replied. “Rafe, this is my date, McKenzie Beaumont.”

“What’s a beautiful young woman doing with a man like this?” Rafe asked her, and he held out his hand.

Before McKenzie could answer, the woman next to him sent him a glare.

“Never mind my husband. He likes to shock people. I’m Ari.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” McKenzie said. The Palazzo family had come from Italy and then settled in San Francisco, where she had known of them. Everyone knew of them because they were beyond powerful. There was no way she could have grown up down there without knowing exactly who they were.

“Are you enjoying the party?” Rafe asked. “I have to say that Joseph sure knows how to throw one, and make sure the pockets of his guests are empty at the end of the night.”

“Yes, that’s for sure,” Byron told him. “But he and his wife, Katherine, always pick the best charities, ones that deserve every dollar in donations, though, so I give without a second thought.”

“That’s very true,” Rafe replied. “But the deductions don’t hurt.”

McKenzie stood there and listened, wondering whether she was too far out of her league. She wanted to hang out with people of this caliber, but at the same time she didn’t even come close to their level. Was she trying too hard to carve out a name for herself? Were they all secretly laughing at her? She’d run an escort service, and now she was trying to run a respectable business. Was that just too much?

After she and Byron left Rafe and Ari, McKenzie was introduced to a number of other people, but the night became a blur of names and faces. How could she remember any of them when her mind was too focused on what Byron was doing with her and why he was telling everyone she was his date? And then there was the real question, the one she was afraid to ask.

What was going to happen when the two of them left the party?

Chapter Twenty-Five

T
rust wasn’t an
easy thing for Byron to give. He gripped his glass and tried to pay attention to what the woman, whose name he’d already forgotten, was saying to him. But all he could do was watch as McKenzie leaned back and let out a peal of laughter.

It was a beautiful sound.

And the man making her laugh didn’t realize his life was in jeopardy. Byron didn’t do jealousy, but at the moment, the green-eyed monster had him in its grip, and his testosterone was spiking to dangerous levels.

No, he didn’t think McKenzie was interested in leaving the fundraiser with another guy, but, again, trust didn’t come easy for Byron.

His mother —more accurately, the woman who had given birth to him — had laughed like that, had flirted with men right in front of her husband. But there was a difference. His “mother” had gone to those men’s beds, and she’d flaunted it in front of her husband, Byron’s father.

She had been a stone-cold bitch — a whore to end all whores — but all women were basically the same. Byron knew that. Sure, McKenzie was there with him tonight, but only because he had promised her she could meet all sorts of people who would come running in through her doors to buy her services.

Which services did she want to provide?

He downed the champagne in his glass, then took a step toward her. But he stopped himself. For the past few hours he’d been by her side. He could easily spend fifteen minutes without her.

And yet if that were so, why did everything inside of him want to walk up to her and stake his claim?
She
was bad for him, so very bad, and he couldn’t seem to care that she was messing with his head.

He’d had an easy out. She was no longer working with him at Knight Construction. All he’d had to do was not call her, not ask her to this function, just go on with his life and forget he’d ever even heard about McKenzie Beaumont. But no. That’s not what he’d done at all.

And now here they were. And he was furious with her and with himself. She hadn’t done anything wrong this evening — in fact, she’d been the perfect companion, and his colleagues adored her. So he had no reason to feel this anger.

Maybe it was because he couldn’t forget her taste or her scent. He couldn’t get the sound of her voice from his head. Everything that she was lingered with him, refused to let go. He needed her, and he was a fool to think he didn’t. He just wasn’t sure how long he would need her for.

When she looked up and their eyes collided, her laughter stopped and the smile on her lips fell away. Ah, there it was. There was the passion he wanted to see. He refused to let her gaze go. He took another step forward, but someone passed in front of him, breaking the connection.

In that instant, McKenzie was no longer looking at him, but he saw the tension in her shoulders. She knew he was walking toward her, and he enjoyed that she was so aware of everything he did. He enjoyed everything about this woman. Even if he hated that he did.

When he finally reached her side, he slid his arm around her and he looked at the man she was chatting with. “I’m sorry I took so long,” Byron said, his lips an inch from her ear, causing a shiver to run down her.

“I was just visiting with Lance Storm. He’s one of Joseph’s nephews. He’s been entertaining me with some interesting work adventures,” she said, her smile returning.

“That’s nice,” Byron said, not meaning it in the least. “I didn’t know Joseph had any nephews with the last name Storm.” Was this good-looking guy some sort of pathological liar?

“That’s a very long story,” Lance said. “We didn’t actually know we were related to Joseph and George until a couple of years ago.”

Byron snorted, and he asked, “How is that possible?”

“Our father was stolen at birth.” Lance didn’t even blink as he said it.

“Wait! I think I did hear something about this last year, but your family has done remarkably well at keeping the story from the papers,” Byron said, the pieces coming together as he remembered how Joseph and his twin brother, George, had discovered they were actually from a set of triplets.

“My uncle Joseph is a great man, and people love and respect him.” Lance said. “Yes, whenever the Anderson family does something, it’s newsworthy, but there’s been very little said about my father coming into their lives. I don’t expect that to last forever, unfortunately.”

“Joseph did a pretty good preemptive strike with his press release, though,” Byron replied. “He beat the tabloids to it. That’s why the story temporarily fled my mind.”

“Well, Byron, it’s been a pleasure to speak with your beautiful date tonight, but I see my brother calling me, so I’m going to have to continue this conversation later.”

He left, and Byron turned to McKenzie. He was more than ready for this party to end, to take her home, take her clothing off, and have her writhing beneath him. The night had dragged on long enough, and the last thing he wanted to see was her speaking with any more single men, or men who appeared single because they wore no wedding ring.

“Have you had a good evening?” he asked her in a tight voice as he began leading her toward the ballroom doors.

“Yes, it’s been wonderful,” she said. Then she realized where they were going. “Are we leaving so soon? It might be considered rude,” she warned him.

“There are so many people here that no one will notice we’ve gone. I’ve already written my check,” he said, still pushing her toward the exit.

Before they reached the doors, his brother Tyler stepped in front of them.

“Where are you two off to in such a hurry?” he asked, and he looked at them slyly.

“We’ve done the rounds,” Byron practically growled. If they got interrupted one more time, he might do something stupid like throw her over his shoulder and make a serious dash out of there.

“You can’t possibly be thinking of leaving, not when McKenzie looks so absolutely ravishing,” Tyler said, turning his complete attention on McKenzie and making Byron’s gut burn. Tyler leaned in and kissed her cheek before letting his eyes glance downward at the modest amount of cleavage she was showing.

Byron’s gut clenched tighter as he thought seriously of smacking his little brother. He hadn’t done in a lot of years.

“Thank you, Tyler,” McKenzie said. That musical laugh came out again.

Tyler sent her a salacious grin, then turned his focus to Byron. “So… When did you two start hanging out outside the office?”

Byron sent a withering look to his brother.

“It’s not a big deal,” McKenzie said. “Byron just wanted to introduce me to his business associates. He’s trying to help drum up more business for me.”

Before Byron was able to contradict her, Tyler got a gleam in his eyes. Byron knew right then that he was going to have to stomp his little brother for sure before the night was finished.

“Well, McKenzie, if this isn’t a date, then could I talk you into a dance?” Tyler asked.

“We’re together,” Byron said, the
R
s sounding fiercely when he spoke.

“Wait, I’m confused,” Tyler replied, looking far too innocent. “I thought you were just here for business.”

“Tyler, why don’t you go find an eligible girl? McKenzie is off limits.”

McKenzie stiffened beside him, but he didn’t care. There was no way in hell he was going to watch his woman waltz off in his brother’s arms. She was his and only his.

Tyler guffawed. “That was way too easy,” he said. He patted Byron on the back, told McKenzie to have a great evening, and wandered off.

“What was easy?” McKenzie asked.

“My brother likes to play stupid little games,” Byron told her, his temper settling down as he started to realize what an idiot he’d just been. “He’s very good at them.” Of course Tyler wasn’t trying to make a move on McKenzie. The brothers liked to poke at each other, but they’d never do anything that crossed a certain line.

One of those lines was not to poach on the others’ territory. Female territory. It had never been done, and it wouldn’t be done.

“Okay, then…,” she said, but she backed off and didn’t complete her sentence.

He turned to her and looked into her eyes. He wanted no misinterpretation of what he was about to say. She sucked her breath in as he pulled her against him and brought his mouth to within an inch of hers.

“We are very much here on a date, McKenzie. We will leave here and go back to my place, and we will wake up in the morning very happy. Very laid-back. Very
laid
.”

Her face heated and her breathing deepened, but she didn’t say a word. He waited several heartbeats before he bent down and brushed his lips against hers. If she was going to tell him no, then it had better be now.

The flavor and savor of her lips exploded in his mouth, and Byron prayed to anything that would listen that she didn’t suddenly decide she didn’t want this. He was now, more than ever before, ready to leave and ready to take her to bed.

The desire he’d been living with from the moment they’d first kissed was now a flow of molten rock through his veins. It had been almost a week since he’d had her, and his need to possess her was so overwhelming that he didn’t know if he’d even make it back home.

“Tell me you’re ready to leave, McKenzie.”

She licked her lips, making him throb with need. He waited.

“Take me home,” she finally whispered so quietly he barely managed to hear it. But hear it, he did.

He didn’t waste any more time.